Happy Birthday Sweet Enzo (March 23rd)

Hello dear friends and family - yes, this post is being written over three months later - but better late than never!

Auntie Beth and Auntie Melissa (and families) flew in from out of state for spring break! On March 23rd, we had a special day as we celebrated Enzo's birthday in the morning and then his Auntie's Amy's birthday for the rest of the day. We visited Enzo's grave and had a nice time hanging out in the sunshine. Enzo's brother and sister and several of his cousins came and released Happy Birthday balloons to Heaven.

Fast forward to right now, July! How is the family doing? At the moment, I can honestly say - good. Great, even. Grief is a strange and unpredictable journey, however, and sorrow can often wash upon us at any moment here and there. There have been some very dark days, weeks in the last nine months. Times where it felt as though there would never, ever be a light at the end of the tunnel. Times where it was hard to believe life would ever be filled with hope and laughter again. However, the light has slowly but surely grown larger - almost with the seasons we currently are in. With spring in the climate, our hearts have slowly begun to come alive with new hope and new beginnings.

More specifically, I would like to say that Enzo's mommy, Kate, is doing especially well. This doesn't mean she doesn't still grieve, but coming from an older sister's perspective, I am SO proud of her and how she has come out of the darkest valleys. Through this entire ordeal, she has kept her focus on Jesus and grown very strong and close to her Savior.  She has truly been through the fire - excruciating for her family to watch. However, through this enormous storm I have watched her cling with everything she has to the one constant in her life - God. She has held on to him with all her might and He has been faithful to bring her through it. The waters have calmed now and she is still alive, even thriving -  it doesn't seem so hard to "do life" now. I posted this verse back in December - even though it was so hard to believe, God is sure proving himself faithful to it! PSALM 66:10,12: "You have tested us, O God. You have purified us like silver... We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance."

Our family has begun writing a book about the entire experience. This may be a project that takes years to complete (or not), but we will just follow the Lord's lead and see what happens. The book will probably include a lot about spiritual journeys before and after the accident, details/perspectives from the night of the accident, and things we have learned. The most important thing we would hopefully do is encourage families who are grieving. We are by no means a perfect family, but we have stuck together and I'd sure love to see other families be able to do that should they hit a road of grief.